Diner
by CyberWolfWrites
Summary: Steve Rogers kinda saves her and then takes her to his favorite diner for dinner amongst other things.
1. Chapter 1

"Shit," she mutters under her breath, ducking her head down and tightening her hold on her satchel. She keeps in the center of the sidewalk: Not too close to the street filled with honking cars and not too close to the alleyways where she can easily be pulled into without anyone noticing despite the sunny day.

She had felt their eyes on her when she passed by one of the pretty frequented day bars. At first, she hadn't realized that they were following her and she thought that they were just heading the same way as her, but after five blocks of them following her, she knew differently.

They're far enough away that she can't feel their eyes on her and that no one will expect them to be following her, but she knew different. She knows that they're after her. She's dressed more suggestively than normal in a short tight skirt and a blouse that accentuates her rather average-sized bust. And with her dirty-blonde hair tied up in a messy bun and not covering her breast, they can easily see her cleavage.

She mentally curses her employer to hell. He had made her dress this way for the meeting with one of the more popular businessmen and she hadn't dared to deny him. He would have cut her pay and she doesn't make enough money as an assistant as it is.

Her heart speeds up as she crosses the street, hearing their laughter increase. She knows-she just _knows_ -that they're talking about her. Probably making crude remarks and jests about her. She can just _feel_ it, and it does not feel good. _At all._

She curses under her breath as her heel gets caught in a crack in the sidewalk, forcing her ankle to twist painfully. She falls to her knees painfully and her satchel somehow makes its way out of her hands, causing a few papers to slip out. She mutters under her breath and rushes to grab the papers before they're stepped on. Her boss will have her hide should anything happen to them.

People pass by her without a second thought, some even scowling at her for getting in the way. She pulls off her heels, knowing that she'll only hurt her ankle worse should she try to stand up in them.

She grabs the small little fence boxing in a tree and pulls herself up, wincing and stumbling to the side as she puts pressure on her ankle. She can hear the men getting closer and that causes a panic to rise in her. She stands up, pushing away the pain in her ankle for now, and walks away as fast as possible.

As she turns a corner, she bumps into something hard. "I'm sor-Hey, is everything alright?" a deep, masculine voice asks. Her eyes widen in panic as she looks at the man who grabbed her upper arms to stabilize her before she looks over her shoulder at the group of men getting closer to her.

"Uhm-ah-y-yes-I'm fine," she squeaks out, pulling away from the man without properly looking at him and she stumbles away from him, whimpering as her ankle shoots in pain. She stumbles and nearly falls again before the man's arms are around her. Her face flushes as her hands press against the man's pecks and his hands rest on her hips. "Sorry!"

He pulls away but doesn't remove his hands from her and to be honest, she's kind of glad as she's sure she would have fallen again. She looks up at his face and her eyes widen as she recognizes him. _I mean, who wouldn't?_ she thinks to herself. _He's freaking Captain America._

"Are you alright, ma'am?" he asks her, completely disregarding the fact that she knows who he is. "Are you in trouble?" She looks into his eyes to see that he's not looking at her, but over her shoulder. Right at the men who have been following her.

It's only now that she realizes that she's shaking like a leaf and that her knees are bleeding. Also, not to mention the fact that her ankle is currently throbbing in pain and she hopes to God that it's not sprained. She can't afford to have a sprain right now.

His baby blue eyes meet her wide light brown ones and she's sure that he can see the panic and pain in them. "Why don't we get you somewhere safe?" he questions, tilting his head to the side as he glances at the group of men again. They have stopped walking and are currently hiding in one of the bus stops.

She glances back at them, taking a step closer to the Captain as she sees their eyes on her. "Yes, please," she whispers. She doesn't care where he's taking her, she just doesn't want to be left alone with those men hanging around.

"How about something to eat?" he says, wrapping an arm around her as she stumbles again. "I was just about to head to a local diner. It's not too far from here." She nods her head and lets him guide her across the street, not really listening to what he's saying.

It doesn't take them long to reach a small diner hidden on the corner of a block. The outside looks brand new and very modern, but she's surprised to see that the interior of the diner is very vintage. Very nineteen-forties. _I suppose I know why he likes this place,_ she thinks to herself, thinking that the man fits in very well here.

Along one side of the diner in front of the entrance is a long counter with red and white bar stools. Along the side where the doors and windows are located are booths, also red and white. At the very end of the diner to the right is an old-looking jukebox and she knows it's still working as music is flowing throughout the room. It's more modern, but it still sounds old. Surprisingly, she likes it.

There's a dark-skinned man behind the counter with white hair and he smiles up at the Captain as the bell above the door rings. His smile falters as he sees her tucked under his arm, knees bloodied and ankle swollen. "Savin' lives again, Cap?" the man says, grabbing something from under the counter.

The captain walks her over to one of the bar stools closest to the end of the bar and the old man drops an old-looking box on the counter. She doesn't have to wonder what it is as the red peeling paint and the white cross explains what it is.

Her face flushes as the man looks at her with a raised eyebrow. "So..." the old man says, looking over at the Captain. "What happened this time?" Her face flushes even more as the Captain picks up her ankle with tender fingers.

"Tell me if this hurts," the Captain says, ignoring the man for the moment. He doesn't move his eyes from hers until she nods her head in understanding, tightening her hold on her satchel.

"I twisted my ankle," she supplies, seeing as the Captain completely focused on seeing whether or not she's sprained her ankle. She lifts up her black nine-inch heels as the older man raises a white eyebrow at her. She winces and mutters under her breath as the Captain presses against a sore spot. "Ow."

"Sorry," the Captain says, grinning sheepishly up at her in apology. He grabs a gauze roll and gently wraps it around her ankle. He's tender with her and she watches as he wraps the bandage around her ankle and makes sure it's tight so her ankle won't move. He grabs a pack of frozen peas from the old man and presses it against her ankle.

She grimaces as he grabs a baby wipe and begins cleaning the few spots of blood from her skinned knees. "My boss is gonna kill me," she mutters, frowning at the marks on her knees. The Captain grabs two large bandages but she shakes her head before he can open them. "It's fine. The bleeding'll stop soon."

"So..." the Captain starts, straightening up as the bleeding stops. He puts some Neosporin on the cuts but doesn't put the bandages on. "Why is your boss going to kill you?" She smiles softly as she knows that he's just trying to make conversation.

"He likes his assistants to keep pretty for when he's meeting with businessmen, but with my skinned knees, he's most likely gonna call me off until they're healed," she says, not really caring that she's sharing how much of an ass her boss is. To be honest, it feels nice. "Without pay, might I had." She frowns at the thought. _I'm not going to have much left after paying the bills._

"That sounds... really mean," the Captain says, placing all of the first-aid products back into the box. He smiles at the old man as he retrieves the box. "Thanks, Mack." The old man waves his hand around.

"You eat here every day," he says. "The least I could do is provide first-aid to those you save. And don't you dare try to pay me back for that." The Captain smiles at the man sheepishly, ducking his head. "Now you two go get a booth. Chris'll be right over to get your orders." The man walks away as a new customer takes place on one of the stools.

He slips off of the stool and holds his hand out for her to hold. "Thanks, Captain," she says, smiling up at him. She grips onto him harder as he leads the way to the booth right behind them.

He shakes his head. "You don't have to thank me, ma'am," he says, waiting for her to take a seat before he sits across from her. "And please, call me Steve." She grins up at him cheekily.

"Then you have to stop calling me 'ma'am'," she retorts, picking up one of the vintage-looking menus. "I'm only twenty-four, for God's sake." She scans the menu, a smile lifting on her face as her eyes light up. They've got _milkshakes._ She doesn't remember the last time she's had one.

"Then what should I call you?" Steve asks her, raising a teasing eyebrow. The cheesy grin on his lips makes her blush.

She clears her throat and smiles nervously at him. "Alice," she says. "You can call me Alice." She looks up as she hears someone walking towards them. It's a boy no older than fifteen and he, like Mack, also has dark colored skin.

His hair is shaved and he has glasses. Only the top part is framed and she thinks it looks nice with the red and white of his uniform. He's got black slacks, partially covered by a white apron, a white button-down, and a red bow-tie and red suspenders. She thinks he looks absolutely _adorable_.

"Hello," he says, somewhat startling her with how deep his voice is. He looks over to Steve with a grin lighting up his face. "You want your regular, Cap?" The Captain nods and the boy's smile seems to grow. "What would you like to order today?"

She hums as the boy writes the Captain's order down and she's curious as to what Captain America's regular is. "Can I have a vanilla milkshake and... some chicken tenders with a side of fries and barbecue sauce, please?"

"What? No ketchup?" the Captain teases. He chuckles at her disgusted face and smiles up at the boy. "Thanks, Chris." The boy smiles back and tears off the piece of paper with their order on it, tucking the notebook and pen into his apron pocket.

"Anything for Captain America," he says, his eyes lighting up. "Your order should be done within the next fifteen or so minutes, but I'll get your milkshakes out right away." At that, the boy walks away and into the kitchen.

She blinks and looks back at Steve. "What kind of milkshake are you getting?" she asks, realizing that the boy said that the Captain's getting a milkshake. "Strawberry?" She giggles at his disgusted face and she forgets for a moment that he's Captain America and that he just saved her.

He shakes his head, a small smile on his lips. "Chocolate is the best," he says, his eyes lighting up. They stare at each other for a few moments and his eyebrows crease in concern. "Are you okay?"

She sucks in a deep breath and looks down at her hands. She hadn't noticed earlier, but she scraped those, too. Luckily they hadn't bled, though. She purses her lips and thinks over today's events.

She had started her day waking up at five in the morning after falling asleep late, to take over two hours to make herself look as perfect as possible for her boss's meeting. Then, the businessman that he was meeting with was not only late, but had grabbed her ass. She wasn't even allowed to slap him in fear of getting fired. Her boss was the only one who hired her when she couldn't even get a job as a waitress and she's sure he'd make it so she couldn't find another job.

Then, after the three-hour long meeting with the businessman continuously ogling her breasts and ass, she had been forced into _another_ meeting with two more businessmen who wasn't shy about looking at her, either. On top of that, she wasn't allowed to sit. _At all._ In _nine-inch- heels_. Her boss said that it was unprofessional for the assistant to sit at the table with the men.

Then, after work, she had been followed for five blocks by men who she just _knew_ were making jests and jokes about doing _things_ to her. _Horrible things_. And then, she sprained her ankle and sliced up her knees because of her stupid heels. She pinches her nose and sighs heavily, leaning her head back.

The only good thing about her day was meeting Captain America and him saving her from the men following her. And maybe coming here. To the diner. She's surprised that he showed a complete stranger where he eats and that he cleaned up her cuts and bandaged her ankle. _Steve Rogers really is a good man,_ she thinks.

When she opens her eyes, he's looking at her with concerned blue eyes. Despite how crappy her day was today, she feels her lips curling in a smile. "I'm okay, _now_ ," she says, beaming up at him. "Thanks for helping me back there and taking me here."

He grins at her but she can still see the concern in his eyes. She supposes that he's always like this. Concerned for the welfare of others. She grins as two milkshakes are placed on the table and thanks the Chris before he runs back to the kitchen. She doesn't hesitate to take the straw between her lips, closing her eyes and practically moaning at the taste of the milkshake.

She hears Steve cough and she blushes at the redness in his cheeks. "That good, huh?" he asks, sipping at his own milkshake. He hums lowly in his throat as his eyes sparkle. She nods at him and they continue drinking their milkshakes. Soon their food is placed in front of them and they're eating in companionable silence.

She shifts around in her seat, hissing out as she hits her foot off the table. "You should probably get home," Steve says, setting down his napkin. "Get some ice on your ankle and some painkillers in you." She nods her head and feels almost sad. She likes the Captain and doesn't want to say goodbye yet, but she supposes all things good have to come to an end.

She sighs and nods her head. "Yeah. I've got work in the morning and I have some things to do when I get home," she says, wiping her mouth. She slides over to the edge of the booth seat before pushing herself up. She winces as she puts pressure on her ankle, but she's glad that she can still walk. She's already slipped her heels back on and she's not happy about walking all the way back to her apartment building.

"My bike's not too far if you want a ride," Steve offers as if he read her mind. "I'd feel better if I knew you got home safe, as well." Despite the pain she'd be in if she walked home alone, she almost denies his offer. But then she looks into his puppy-dog eyes and she knows that she can't refuse him.

"Fine," she says, huffing out a breath. He looks like he's going to celebrate before she continues her statement. " _But_ , I'm paying for myself." His lips draw into a frown and he shakes his head.

"I can't let you do that, sweet'eart," he says. "I'm the one that took you here, so I should pay." She crosses her arms and stares into his eyes, defiance making her feel much stronger than she felt a few minutes ago.

"I pay the tip, then," she says, knowing that he'll insist on paying for her. He looks like he's going to protest, but with a sharp look from her, he backs down. She smiles to herself as the boy comes to collect their plates, dropping their bill of as well. She has a feeling that he was eavesdropping, and while that somewhat annoys her, she knows that the kid meant well.

She pulls her wallet from her bra, making Steve's eyes widen and a blush crawl up his neck, and she pulls out a twenty. She may be a bit tight on money at the moment, but she's not letting the Captain get away with paying for their whole bill. His lips draw into a line as she sets the piece of paper down, but he doesn't outright protest.

He sets a twenty and a ten down and stands up from the table. "I'll be back within five minutes," he says, slipping out of the diner. True to his word, he pulls up next to the diner five minutes later, turning off the bike and walking back into the diner. She raises an eyebrow because she's pretty sure what he just did is illegal, though she doesn't own a car, so she doesn't know.

He helps her up and lets her lean against him as her ankle threatens to twist again. He sits down on the bike before handing her his helmet. She tries to refuse, but with his stern look, she puts it on.

"Where to?" he asks her, turning back to her as she hesitantly wraps her arms around his _hard_ and _toned_ stomach. She mutters her address and they take off. It takes them barely five minutes to reach her apartment and she grumbles to herself, knowing that it would have taken her over twenty minutes to reach it on foot usually.

He cuts the engine and stands up, holding his hand out for her to grasp. She stumbles a little, squeaking as she falls into his chest. His chest rumbles in a chuckle and she ignores the warmth that spreads through her at it. He tugs his helmet off her gently and tucks it under his arm, holding his other one out for her to grasp. She raises an eyebrow and he shrugs.

"I want to walk you to your apartment." He thinks for a few moments and ducks his head down. "If you'll allow me, that is." She shakes her head and smiles up at him, gesturing towards the front door of her apartment building.

She heads straight for the elevator even though the old thing jerks around and makes her nervous. She does _not_ feel like taking the stairs tonight. She presses the button for the fifth floor and presses herself to Steve's side as it jerks. She blushes as the doors open and leads the way to her apartment.

She turns around after unlocking it, biting her lip and looking up at the built man in front of her. She blushes even more to find his eyes already on her. "Thank you for helping me earlier and buying me dinner," she says shyly, staring down at her feet.

"No problem," he says, making her look back into his eyes. "It was nice to not have dinner alone for once." She smiles, and before she can think about what she's doing, she puts her hand around the back of his neck and pulls him down as she raises on the tip of her toes on her one foot.

She plants a small chaste kiss on his lips before leaning away. "Thank you, Steve," she says, and then she's in her apartment with the door closed. She touches her lips and leans against the door, her eyes wide.

 _Did I seriously just kiss Captain America...?_ And then _closed the door on him?_


	2. Chapter 2

She found herself drawn to the diner a week later. She hadn't been able to go to work and her boss was mad. He had fired her when she hadn't been able to come in the second day because she couldn't even get out of bed due to the pain in her ankle. She had managed to push herself out of bed on the third day after hurting her ankle and she went down to the local MedExpress where she was informed that she hadn't sprained her ankle, but had slightly fractured it instead.

She now has a weight-bearing cast on it so she doesn't need crutches to walk, but it's still pretty painful to do so. Luckily over-the-counter pain medications and keeping her ankle elevated has decreased her pain, but she still finds it hard to walk.

She sighs in relief as she sits down in one of the red and white booths, leaning her head back and sighing in relief. With her leg the way it is, and not being able to afford a cab with the little money she's saved up, it had taken her a little over half an hour to get here. It's safe to say that she's relieved that she can finally sit down.

She grabs the menu and reads it over. She's pretty sure that she's going to get the same thing that she got last time, but a little more time with the menu isn't a big deal. Not even five minutes later, the little bell above the door rings.

Out of instinct, she raises her head to look at the door. She had worked as a waitress for way too long at a diner in her old town and it was practically ingrained into her that she should always check out every person that walks in. Her years serving patrons lead her with significant enough knowledge to know what each person is like.

Her eyes momentarily widen at the man who's just walked through the door, though she should have expected him to be here. He _did_ say that he eats here every day, after all. His baby blues sweep over the interior of the diner immediately- _surely a tick from his time in the military and his current work,_ she thinks to herself-and his eyes land on her. A grin lights up his face and he walks over to where she's seated in a corner booth.

"Alice," Steve says, looking her over. His eyes linger on her cast before they meet hers. "I was kinda hoping you would come here. Do you mind if I join you?" She blushes slightly and shakes her head, scooting over to allow him to take a seat next to her. Due to the booth being in the corner, it makes an _L_ shape and she's pretty sure that he'd appreciate being able to keep his eyes on the entirety of the diner like last time.

He takes the seat with a grin and she can tell that he knows exactly why she moved over and offered him her original seat. "How's your leg?" he asks her as he looks over the menu she passed him. His eyes flicker over to hers as he awaits an answer.

She grimaces slightly and shrugs her shoulders at the throbbing in her leg. _I'm going to need some painkillers soon_. "I went to the local MedExpress," she says, fiddling with the edge of the menu. "Turns out that I have a slight fracture. It won't be healed completely until about two months." She crosses her arms and huffs in annoyance. _How the hell am I supposed to pay for rent without a job?_

She can tell that he senses her irritation and he doesn't inquire about it as Chris walks over to them with a grin lighting up his face at the appearance of the captain. "Hello, Captain Rogers," he says, grinning at the captain. "Alice." It doesn't surprise her that he knows her name as she knows that the boy was listening to their conversation the other day. The thought still kind of annoys her. "What would you two like today?"

She hums softly and smiles up at the boy. "Can I have a vanilla milkshake and... pepperoni pizza, please?" The boy flashes her a smile, which she's sure charms a lot of people of school, and he looks back at the captain.

Steve takes a few moments to look over the menu before smiling at Chris. "Can I have a chocolate milkshake and pepperoni pizza as well?" The boy looks a bit shocked and she knows that her eyes have widened in surprise, too. At both of their surprised looks, he shrugs. "I decided to try something new." She blushes as he looks her in the eyes as he says it.

Chris writes down both of their orders, flashes them both a boyish grin and walks off, stating that he'll be out with both of their milkshakes in a few moments. She fiddles with the menu even though she doesn't need it anymore. After a few moments, she folds it and puts it in the holder on the other side of the table, Steve doing the same after a few moments.

"So, Captain," she says, smiling up at him, trying to use small talk to get rid of the embarrassment from taking over her. "What have you been up to in the last week?" He shrugs his shoulders and leans back into the seat cushion, looking over at her with a smile on his lips.

"Not much, to be honest," he says. She raises an eyebrow, not really believing that. He's freaking _Captain America_ and not only that, an Avenger. Surely he's done a mission or two over the past week? "This week's been quiet, so I've mainly been training and getting caught up on some paperwork from a previous mission." She bites her lip in amusement. Captain America doing paperwork? She can't really imagine that.

"Enough about my week, though," he says, flashing a smile at Chris who gives them their milkshakes and straws. "What have you been up to? I don't really see you at work with that leg, though." She frowns at the reminder of being fired a few days ago. He obviously sees her frown and places his large callous hand on top of her smaller smooth one. "Hey, what's wrong?" he says.

She huffs out a breath, retrieving her hand to pull the wrapper off her straw. "Nothing, really," she hums as she sticks her straw into her glass. He gives her a raised eyebrow and she knows he doesn't believe her. "My boss fired me." It's practically a growl as she stares down at the table, a frown covering her face.

"He fired you?" Steve asks, completely outraged. "For fracturing your ankle?" He tears the wrapping from his straw off, too, and sticks it into his milkshake. He frowns at her and she shrugs her shoulders, still peeved that her boss fired her.

"Yeah. I called off the day after because my leg still hurt and the day after that, he fired me," she takes a sip of her milkshake, nearly smiling into it at the taste before frowning again. "There is no way that I'm going to be able to find a job while my leg's like this. I've got enough money saved up to pay for rent for a month, but I have no idea what I'm gonna do after that."

She sips her milkshake angrily before looking up as Steve places his hand over hers again. His eyes are full of earnest and concern and she feels her eyes soften. _Steve's a really kind man,_ she thinks to herself. _Worrying about a complete stranger._

"You don't have any friends that can help you at all?" he asks, smoothing his thumb over her knuckles. "No one who can offer you some money or who can help you get a job?" She sighs deeply and shakes her head, refusing to shiver at the tingles spreading through her knuckles.

"I've been in the city for two years since graduating college," she says, gnawing on her lip as he stares intensely into her eyes. "I've been focused on saving enough money to get a decent apartment before looking for another job based on my major." He tilts his head to the side in curiosity.

"What did you go to school for?" he asks her, lifting the straw of his milkshake to his lips again. Her eyes light up and she beams up at him at the reminder of her passion.

"Graphic Art and Marketing," she hums out with a bright smile. She sips some of her milkshake and tilts her head to the side as his smile seems to turn to a grin and his blue eyes sparkle in interest.

"I went to art school," he says, immediately gathering her attention. She tilts her head to the side in curiosity and he expands on the statement. "Before the war. My friend, Bucky, and I were in the middle of a class when we both decided to enroll." She nods her head and her eyebrows scrunch up a bit as she thinks.

"Sergeant Jame Buchanan Barnes, right?" she asks, tilting her head to the side. He nods his head, albeit a bit warily. "I read about you two back in high school and in one of my college history classes. Wasn't he the Winter Soldier?" He seems to stiffen a bit and nods his head.

"Bucky's a good man," he says quickly, defending his friend. "He never wanted to be the Winter Soldier. Hydra brainwashed him and forced him to do all of those things." She smiles softly up at him. _Such a loyal man._

"I don't doubt it," she says, trying to tell him that she hadn't meant to sound hostile or anything. "The history books say that he was a good man. I believe that. Plus, if he's your friend, he shouldn't be anything but good." Steve seems to deflate at that and he smiles at her.

They both turn as Chris walks over to them with two plates in his hand. She tilts her head to the side as he places the plates in front of them, flashing another grin at them, and leaving. A smile pulls at her lips as she looks at the pizza in front of her.

Instead of a single slice like she was expecting, there's a small pizza the size of a large plate on top of her plate. She looks over at Steve's plate to see that he has the same thing. The slices are already cut for her, so she pulls one off the plate and takes a bite of it, closing her eyes to savor the taste.

She hums softly as she puts the slice down, using her napkin to wipe her mouth. Steve hums in satisfaction as well as he takes a big bite of his slice. She swallows her mouthful and licks her lips, smiling up at him.

"The food here is amazing," she says, taking another sip of her milkshake. Steve nods in agreement to her statement, putting his slice of pizza down again to wipe his mouth and sip at his own milkshake. "I think the pizza is my favorite."

Steve gives her a little grin. "It _is_ New York City," he says, making her snort a small laugh and nod in agreement. They eat in silence for a few moments and he's almost done with his whole pizza before she even finishes her second slice.

"Alice?" he asks, his voice sounding like he's been thinking. She hums and looks up at him, setting down her slice and wiping off her hands and mouth. "You're a qualified artist, right?" She nods in confusion and he continues. "Tony has been looking for someone to design a few flyers about some of his newer projects, and with your marketing degree, you'd be a perfect candidate."

She blinks at him slowly as she straightens up in her chair. "You're not talking about Tony _Stark_ , are you?" she asks nervously, her breath hitching as he nods slowly, his eyes on hers. "I-I've never done serious work like that. Only some work for my boss sometimes and a few companies when I was still in school. I've never really been required to use my marketing degree and it's only a minor degree. It's not supposed to be used for large-scale things like what Tony Stark's trying to accomplish."

He rubs his thumb over her knuckles some more. "Alice, all I'm saying is give me your resume," he says, trying to soothe her slight panic. "I'll give it to Tony and hopefully he'll get you a job at the Tower. You need a job, you told me that. Just let me help you."

She looks into his eyes with her own cinnamon colored ones wide. This man, a man she's just met, is helping her. Offering her a chance to get a job with _Tony Stark_ as a graphic designer. _He_ is _Captain America_ , her mind points out. _Of course, he'd be this kind._ On the other hand, she's scared. Not scared of him exactly, but scared nonetheless.

She's never put her trust in anyone. She's learned that from a young age growing up in the foster system. She was lucky enough to be put in a foster home for the last four years. She had gone to a pretty good public high school that way and she had kept her grades up, taking extra business courses that the school offered, and even joining the softball team. Once the scholarship season rolled around, she had received a full scholarship and man grants from many schools and other things. That way, she had been able to go to her dream school for what she loved. Art.

She bites her lip as she looks down at their hands. She flips her's over and he stills his movements for a moment before tracing the lines on her palm. She also has another thing to be afraid of. The feelings that she can feel growing for this man. It's strange. She barely knows him, and yet she finds that she's her happiest when they're together.

He's still staring at her when she looks up. She searches his eyes for a few moments before nodding her head hesitantly. "Would you mind giving me a ride to my apartment?" she asks, giving him a sheepish smile. "I forgot to put the extra copies of my resume in my purse when I printed them out the other day." He gives her what she's pretty sure is a smirk.

"Sure," he says, nodding to Chris to get the check. "So long as you don't kiss me and shut the door in my face right afterward."


	3. Chapter 3

"What's that, Capsicle?" Tony asks, wiping his hands off on an oily rag. Steve had just thrown Alice's portfolio onto his workstation and he hopes that the older man likes her art. He's taken a look inside it himself, and he was pleasantly surprised to see that she tends to hand-draw everything instead of making it with a drawing tablet.

Steve messes with his hair and just nods to the small folder that holds a variety of different pieces that Alice created, along with her resume. Tony lifts an eyebrow and opens the folder. Steve ignores the urge to fidget as Tony looks over the art in curiosity.

After a few moments of flipping through the images, Tony looks up at Steve. "You brought me... a resume and a portfolio?" Tony asks incredulously, flipping the folder closed after taking out the resume. "Why, exactly?" Steve sighs.

"You said that you and Pepper were looking for someone to promote some of your newer projects," Steve says casually, shrugging his shoulders. Tony gives him a dull look to which he decides to ignore. "I thought you'd like to look at this one girl I heard of." Tony lifts an eyebrow up at his choice of wording and reads over her resume that conveniently has her picture. He whistles lowly and Steve ignores the urge to scowl at the man.

"She's pretty," Tony drawls out, looking at her image. "Where'd you meet her?" Steve chokes on his spit and coughs a bit, giving Tony a look that practically screams _What do you mean?_ Tony just lifts an eyebrow and Steve's shoulders drop as he takes a seat next to the man.

"You know how I came back to the Tower later than I usually do a week ago?" Steve asks, continuing after Tony makes a _hurry up_ motion with his hand. "Well, I had actually helped her," he gestures to Alice's picture, "after she fractured her ankle and some guys were following her. I ended up taking her to the diner to wrap her ankle up and I bought her dinner after."

Tony tilts his head to the side. "And this has anything to do with you getting her resume and portfolio, how?" Tony asks, reading over her resume a little. Steve sighs.

"I ran into her at the diner today and she mentioned how she needed a new job after her boss fired her for not being able to go to work because of her ankle. Her boss _fired_ her, Tony, because she got hurt," Steve stresses. "And now she's not going to be able to get a job for at most two months because of it." Tony frowns slightly before sighing and looking into Steve's eyes.

"You're always doing the good thing, aren't you Cap?" Tony asks, slipping the resume into the folder. "I'll tell you what. I can get her an interview and I'll have Pepper look over her credentials, but the rest is up to her, Steve. We also have to do a background check on her before even considering her as a future employee."

Steve grins and shrugs his shoulders. "That was all I was asking for, Tony," he says. "Thank you so much. I owe you one." He stands up and looks back at her portfolio for a moment before turning to leave.

"Do you like her?" Tony asks, causing him to stop and turn towards the man. "Don't give me that look. It's an honest question. Are you interested in this girl or not?" Steve stays quiet for a few moments, wishing that Tony will just let the subject drop. Tony grins. "So you are! I can't wait to tell everyone." Steve scowls but knows that it's no use. Once someone starts dating, everyone within the Tower will know within a few hours.

He sighs. "I'll see you later, Tony." He waves and walks towards the elevator, pulling his phone out to text Alice that Tony's reviewed her work and has forwarded it to Pepper.

* * *

She paces back and forth as she goes over her options. A little over two weeks have passed since first hearing that _Tony Stark_ and his CEO _Pepper Potts_ has decided to look over her resume and portfolio. She had half-expected Steve to not even give Tony her portfolio so quickly but was pleasantly shocked when Steve had texted her only an hour after leaving her apartment.

She's now deciding what to wear to her interview. With her ankle still in a cast, until she can get it in a splint in a few days, she's not even bothering to look at her shoes. The only shoes that she has that are not heels and are considered fancy are black flats.

She's got a few different skirts on her bed, along with two different scarf options, ten different shirts, and a few dresses. _Now, what goes with my flats...?_ She grabs her yellow skirt and tosses it to the side, knowing that it won't go well with what she's got in mind. She grabs three of her blouses and tosses them to the side, as well, deeming them unfit for such an interview. She grabs a pale blue dress and tosses it to the side as well.

She chews on her lip and ignores the urge to mess with her hair. She's just showered, put her hair up in a slightly messy curled ponytail with some curls hanging by her face, some simple makeup on, and her glasses on, so all she has to do is find the perfect outfit. And, it's proving to be a bit more difficult than she thought it would be. She continues removing different articles of clothing until only three different options lay in front of her.

One of them is a dark gray pencil skirt, a white blouse with ruffles on it with a small little scarf that'll tie around her throat. The next outfit is a maroon pleated skirt and an off-white thin long-sleeved shirt with a maroon infinity scarf. The last outfit is a knee-length, black dress that hugs her upper body and flares out at her waist with no accessories.

She looks over her options before grabbing the dress and pulling it on, careful not to mess up her hair or makeup. She stands in front of her mirror, chewing on her lower lip as she looks over herself. _I look nice_ , she thinks, her eyes dropping down to her slightly bulky plaster cast. _At least the dress matches my cast._

She nods to herself before grabbing her bag. She's not stupid enough to have a bag that'll hang off of her one shoulder, so she pulls it over her head so it rests at her waist and on the opposite shoulder. It was the bag she'd bring to work, now clear of all the papers from her previous job since she dropped them off a week ago, but before it held all of her art supplies and her full portfolio.

She looks in it and nods her head as her large portfolio, along with some of her art supplies and a few copies of her resume are in the bag and closes it. She pulls her wallet from her purse and stuffs it in her bra, not for a second thinking that her bag is safe enough.

She winces as she puts some weight on her ankle, regretting pacing for fifteen minutes straight. She limps over to her bathroom cabinet and pulls out a bottle of Advil. She shakes out two pills before filling up the cup she uses to rinse her mouth out. She puts the pills on her tongue before washing them down with water.

She grabs her phone off the coffee table as she passes and checks the time, sighing in relief as she sees that she's on schedule. She tends to always list things out and she's made sure to give herself five extra minutes to get to places when she was creating her schedule. She locks her door behind her and throws her keys into her bra, too.

She winces as she steps into the elevator, pressing the button for the lobby floor, and leans against the wall. She bites her lip to hold in a whimper as the elevator jolts, making her leg slam into the ground. She sighs in relief as the elevator stops and she steps out.

"I really hate that elevator," she mutters under her breath as she pushes the front doors open, walking down the sidewalk. She makes it to the busier streets easily, but she doesn't bother asking for a taxi. The Tower's about a half hour's walk away and she'd rather work through the pain than pay for a taxi without the guarantee that she'll get a job.

If she doesn't get a job due to her leg, though, it doesn't mean too much as she's worked on a few commissions over the past few weeks and she's also sent many job applications to various places around Manhattan and the rest of New York City. She's willing to either find a new apartment for a new job or travel over a few hours a day in order to get to work. She just really hopes that she gets this job, though.

It takes her exactly twenty-five minutes to make her way to the Tower and her hands nearly quake in the nerves, but she pushes it away. In order to be an illustrator/artist, she has to have steady hands, and she's glad when all she needs is a few deep breaths to calm her shaking hands.

She pushes the door open and tucks a dark blonde curl behind her ear as she struts up to the counter. A petite brunette with her hair in a bun sits behind the counter typing on her computer. She waits a few moments for the woman to finish what she's doing, reigning in her nervousness.

She smiles as the woman looks at her. "Hello, my name is Alice Micah," she says in a soft voice. "I believe I have an interview with Ms. Potts today?" The woman, Macy from her nametag, nods her head and types on her computer. She smiles up at her as she sees what she wants.

She gestures towards the elevator, which she's pretty sure has a metal detector. "Ms. Potts is waiting for you on floor seventy-eight in her office. A security guard will be waiting to take you to her office," the woman instructs before turning back to her work. She nods and walks in the direction of the elevators, mentally cursing them out. _I really really hate elevators._

The doors close behind her and she jumps as the elevator almost immediately sets off. _Thank God that it's not jerky,_ she thinks to herself. Within a minute, the elevator comes to a stop and the doors slide open. As the receptionist said, there is a security guard waiting at the door. He's of average build and height, though he's obviously much more muscular than the average man.

He doesn't say anything as he guides her through the somewhat busy hallways. After a few turns, they stop in front of a frosted glass door with _CEO_ printed in black on the door. Her breath hitches as the security guard knocks on the door.

She ignores the urge to bite her lip as Ms. Potts' voice carries through the door. "Come in." She pushes the door open and sees the blonde hair of the usually strawberry blonde woman sitting behind her desk. She types a few things before looking up, a small smile on her lips. She looks over at the security guard and gives him a nod. "You can leave, Micheal. We're fine here." He leaves without a second thought, which kind of surprises her.

The powerful woman turns to her with a warm smile and gestures to the chair in front of her. "Go ahead and take a seat, Ms. Micah. That ankle is hurting, isn't it?" Ms. Potts states, holding a folder in her hands. She easily recognizes it as the folder she gave to Steve holding her resume and some of her works.

She nods her head in relief and feels some of her nervousness leak away. "Thank you," she states softly, making sure to sit up straight. "And please, call me Alice, Ms. Potts." The woman nods her head and flips open the folder, moving her resume into a better position.

"Now," Ms. Potts says, immediately making her nervous again. "Let's get started with why you're here, shall we?"


	4. Chapter 4

She smiles tentatively at the woman in front of her. Ms. Potts has just gone over her resume with her- _most likely to see whether or not I was lying,_ she thinks to herself-and she feels like the interview has gone well so far. As far as she's concerned, all of the facts on her resume check out and are not false and she has some experience as a graphic artist.

Ms. Potts smiles at her as she moves her resume to the side. "You have a lot of experience in your field, Ms. Micah," the woman says, flipping through her art. "I'm curious as to how you ended up as an assistant for a businessman rather than a graphic artist. Would you mind telling me how that happened?"

This was the only thing on her resume that they hadn't gone over, and she knew she should have expected to talk about it. She suspected that anyone with power working at the _Avengers_ Tower will most likely scrutinize anyone who tries to get a job here, and it looks like it's proving to be correct.

She ignores the urge to fidget as she wrings her fingers together, keeping eye contact with the woman. "I come from a small town and a life full of moving around, Ms. Potts," she starts off. "I grew up in the foster system and that didn't lead to many opportunities to get the best education. I got lucky when I was put into the same foster home for four years straight during high school. My original job was at a small diner. During college, I managed to get a few people wanting to check out my work.

"That's how I ended up branching out to logos and brochures," she explains, pointing to a rather cure logo for a coffee shop. "I was originally working on flyers and some random artwork for book covers. The school approached me to do some work promoting the college, and me being a broke college student, I agreed. I ended up working with them until I graduated. Then I moved out to the city." She sighs as she gets to this part of the story, disappointed in herself.

"I have a lot of experience, Ms. Potts," she says, looking the woman in the eyes earnestly. "But apparently, no one in the city really cared about any of that experience. I was aiming for this one job at this small company who needed some graphic designers and I had rented an apartment near there. And, I did get the job. But, a few months later the whole company crashed and I was fired. No one wanted to hire me for anything until Mr. Brandly found me. He offered me a job as his assistant, along with a few graphic design projects, and I agreed. Then, two weeks ago I fractured my ankle and he fired me for not being able to work." She leans forward slightly, keeping eye contact with the woman.

"I make great art, Ms. Potts," she says. "I have a lot of experience and I'm a hard worker. But, this is where I am now. All I ask of you is to give me a chance." She stares at the woman, slightly afraid of what she'll say. She had basically just told her her life story and this only the first interview. _Shit, I hope I didn't mess this up._

"That is a very... elaborate story, Alice. Thank you for telling me all of that," Ms. Potts says, stopping at one of the flyers she's illustrated. Her face turns a light shade of pink as she realizes that it's one of the flyers she made for the _Captain America and the Howling Commandos_ exhibit at the museum in D.C. Captain Rogers stands in front with Sergeant Barnes right beside him on his right, just a little behind him. The rest of the team stand on either side of them, just a little smaller.

She can remember drawing this. She hadn't looked at any of the other flyers or artwork from the museum for inspiration. She had gone to the library and had gotten any pictures of every single person she could find. She had watched the videos of the whole team over and over again to get everyone perfect.

The flyer looks like a photo. Like it had actually been taken at the time where everyone was alive and together. She had refrained from drawing Steve in his _Captain America_ outfit, having actually drawn him in his actual military uniform. The only thing she has from his superhero outfit is his shield, which he has in both of his hands. Her blush darkens at the thought of Steve seeing this. She may have or may have not spent too long focusing on just him when creating this piece, and it shows.

A smile grows on Ms. Potts' face and her eyes widen slightly. "You're an amazing artist," Ms. Potts hums, brushing her fingers lightly over the picture. "This looks like it was taken in nineteen-forty-five, not hand drawn in two-thousand-fourteen. Can you draw more of these?" She frowns and tilts her head to the side.

"I'm sorry to ask, ma'am, but can you elaborate?" she asks hesitantly, confused as to what the woman is speaking about. "The old photo style or Captain America?" Ms. Potts flashes her a smile.

"Well, both," the woman says, only making her confusion grow. "But, I'm referring to Captain America. And not only the captain but the rest of the Avengers. There's a benefit coming up soon and all of the Avengers will be making an appearance. Tony will also be showcasing a new suit and some other things. I'd really love for you to create some flyers for me." Her eyes widen and her breath catches in her throat.

"Ms. Potts, does this mean...?" she trails off, unsure as to whether or not she's getting ahead of herself. The other woman's smile only grows more. She stands up and walks towards her, making her stand up as well. Ms. Potts offers her hand and she takes it in confusion.

"Welcome to Stark Industries, Alice Micah," Ms. Potts says, flashing her a smile as her eyes light up and a shocked grin makes its way onto her face. "And please, Alice, call me Pepper." She bites her lip to stop herself from hugging the woman as she shakes her hands with the woman.

"Thank you so much, Ms. Po-Pepper!" she squeaks out. "Thank you so much. But, wait." She frowns and her eyebrows furrow. "Don't you have to run a background check on me?" Pepper smiles at her mischievously.

"It was the first thing Steve did when he heard that I was inviting you for an interview," Pepper admits, removing her hand from hers. "He's excited that you were cleared. He seems to like you, a lot." Her eyes widen and the blush that had just started to go away comes back at full force.

"Oh," is all she can say as she clutches her satchel.

"So, Alice," Pepper says, walking back to her desk and retaking her seat. She sits down, too. "When do you think you can get started?" Her eyes light up and she retakes her own seat.

"Immediately," she says quickly. "I'm free literally any time. If you want, I can even start now? I've got a lot of my art supplies and if the Avengers are in the Tower, I can begin sketching." Pepper sends her a curious look and she smiles sheepishly. "I prefer seeing what I'm drawing in front of me, so if no one finds it a bother for me to sit in a corner and sketch them from afar, I'm game. Though, if they refuse, I can work with pictures."

Pepper nods in understanding and writes some things down. "I'll have Friday give you clearance for floors eighty-two and above. Those are the team's communal areas. You'll mainly have access to the kitchens and living rooms, but anyone can let you into their apartments or anywhere else. Friday?" Pepper calls out, seemingly to the room. She jumps and her eyes widen as a voice echoes around the room.

 _"Yes, Ms. Potts?"_ a feminine voice with a slightly Irish tinted accent asks.

"Will you please scan Ms. Alice Micah for her thumbprints and allow her access to levels eighty-two through ninety-three? Only the kitchen and living areas, please, unless said otherwise," Pepper says, writing something down.

 _"Yes, ma'am,"_ the voice says again. She scrunches up her eyebrows in confusion as she looks over to Pepper.

"That's Tony's A.I.," she says, pointing towards the ceiling. "She has complete access to the entire building and if you ever need anything, all you have to do is call out. She'll answer." She nods her head slightly in understanding, her lips forming an _O_ shape.

"You can go ahead and head up to the communal areas, Alice," Pepper says, giving her a smile. "Friday will tell you which of the team are currently here and where they are. She'll also send a message to everyone to let them know who you are so you don't get attacked or anything. I'll find you later once I finish your paperwork to get your employee badge picture taken." She nods her head and smiles.

"Thank you so much for this, Pepper," she says, standing up from her seat. "You really didn't have to give me this job or let me work right away, so thank you. This means a lot." Pepper looks away from her computer with a smile.

"You're an amazing artist, Alice. You got the job fair and square," Pepper assures her. "And besides, I'm pretty sure a certain Captain would have been more than a little peeved if I didn't even consider you for the job. You'll fit in well here, I can see that."

She smiles and thanks her again, turning and walking towards the door. "Oh, and Alice?" Pepper calls out, causing her to turn towards her with a questioning face. "If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to call. Since you're going to be working closely with the team for this project, I'm sure anyone will be happy to help. Now you can go." She chuckles and walks out of the frosted door before she can get called back again.


	5. Chapter 5

She bites her lip to contain her scream of joy as she's escorted to the elevator. She nods to Micheal right before the elevator doors close. She hesitates a moment before speaking out, "Friday? Where's Steve Rogers?"

 _"Captain Rogers is on floor eighty-two in the common room, Miss Micah,"_ the A.I. tells her in her Irish accented voice. _"Would you like me to take you there?"_

"Yes, please," she says. Not even thirty seconds later the elevator doors open. She hesitates a moment, sucking in a deep breath, before stepping into the large room. She only has to take a few steps forward until she sees a familiar face already looking in her direction. She waves shyly at him as he grins at her.

"Friday just told us you were heading up," Steve says, standing from where he was sitting on the couch and walking towards her. She can see two other people in the room behind him, but she doesn't pay attention to them yet. "I take it that you got the job?"

She bites her lip to try and contain her smile, but she fails two seconds later when a large grin spreads across her face. "Yes!" she squeaks out, nearly buzzing in excitement. "Thank you so much for the help, Steve." He shrugs his shoulders bashfully and she can see his neck beginning to turn pink.

She looks behind him when she hears someone clear their throat and her cheeks take on a pink tinge at the two amused men lounging on the couches. Steve turns around and takes a step to the side to allow her to see them better. She easily identifies the two men as the Falcon, or Sam Wilson, and James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes. She sends them a shy wave.

"So, Steve..." Sam says, standing up after Bucky. "You didn't tell us that you knew the new-what was it? Graphic Artist?" He looks to her and she nods. "I'm Sam Wilson, by the way," he says, offering her his hand. She takes it with a shy smile and they shake hands. She gives Bucky a curious look, easily noticing how he tries to hide his left arm away from her, though it doesn't matter much considering he's wearing a short-sleeved shirt and she can easily see some of it.

'I'm Bucky," he tells her. She blinks at the roughness in his tone, though takes the hand he offers. It's his right hand. She smiles softly at him before glancing up at Steve, who's got a flash of surprise in his eyes.

"I'm Alice," she says, fidgeting with her bag. "I don't mean to intrude or anythin', but Pepper said it was fine for me to head up here and start on my project immediately..." She chews on her lip in worry, sending a nervous glance to Steve.

He shakes his head with a warm smile. "That's perfectly fine, Alice," he says, his tone calm and warm. "Why don't you take a seat? Your ankle must be killing you." She flushes, having actually forgotten about her ankle, but realizes after a jolt of pain that he's right.

She looks around the room and walks toward the chair set up right next to the window. This way she has plenty of light and she can see the three of them clearly. She crosses her legs, with her right on top since that ankle is her sprained one, and she takes off her bag. She digs through it for her sketchpad and her pencils. She drops the bag beside the chair and immediately begins sketching out a flyer design.

She's had this idea in her head for the past ten or so minutes since Pepper told her about making a flyer for the benefit and she can't wait to get started. The three talk quietly and watch a random show on the T.V. as she roughly sketches out the positions of each Avenger on the paper.

Sam's flying in the upper left corner with Scarlet Witch and the Vision in the upper right. Steve and Bucky are in the lower left area, back to back, and in the lower right are Black Widow and Hawkeye. It's pretty clear to anyone, even Avengers fans, that the two are either very good partners and or really good friends. Dr. Banner is in the lower middle with Tony Stark hovering above him. Above Stark will be the title of the benefit. The back will have all of the information on the benefit. She doesn't worry about including Thor or War Machine as she was told that they will not be making an appearance.

"What are you workin' on?" Sam asks her, causing her head to snap up. She had droned out a little while focusing on the placement of each person and it's safe to say that she was startled. At her startled look, he raises his hand. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

She relaxes and shakes her head, feeling heat creep up her neck. "It's fine. I just got a little too focused on my work," she says sheepishly, uncrossing her legs and sitting up straight. She's just happy that no one tapped her shoulder as she most likely would have thrown a punch. She did that once and the result was a broken nose.

Sam raises an eyebrow. "I can tell," he says, gaining a confused look from her. "You've been sitting here for nearly an hour and I've been trying to talk to you for the past five minutes." Her eyes widen and she smiles sheepishly. "Anyway, what does Pepper have you working on?"

Her eyes light up and her smile turns to genuine joy. "She's got me working on some flyers for the benefit coming up in like a month or so, and it'll probably take me around a week or so to finish this one completely. Maybe even longer if I don't see who I'm drawing..." she frowns frustratedly. "Would you guys mind wearing your suits for me? I can take a picture so you don't have to sit around in them, though. I just need to know what they look like so I can sketch them accurately, though you don't have to if you don't want to. I can work off pictures, but it's harder to get them accurate..."

"Alice?" Steve's voice cuts through her lengthy babbling, making her look at him slightly out of breath and wide-eyed. "Breathe. We're perfectly fine doing whatever you need to make your job easier." She blinks a few times.

"Really?" she asks in a small voice, looking at the three of them. Sam and Steve are looking at her with calming smiles, though Bucky looks a bit hesitant. "You guys don't mind playing show pony for me?"

Steve shakes his head. "As long as you don't want me running around like a circus monkey, I'm fine with it. Whatever helps you get your work done." She beams up at him, grinning at the thought of seeing him in his uniform.

"Cool! That would be amazing. Do you think everyone else will be fine with it?" she frowns in worry again before looking over at them.

"Don't worry about it," Bucky tells her, making her blink at him. "Everyone here are like kids in a toy store. They love playing around in their suits sometimes." She flashes him a thankful smile, nodding her head at him.

"Thank you guys," she says with a smile, repositioning herself and continuing on her work. They give her smiles and she continues sketching out everybody.


	6. Chapter 6

"Where are we going?" she says, frowning at Steve. He's dressed in his uniform, and while it looks as heavy-duty and as form-fitting as she thought it would, she has no idea why he's refusing to tell her why he's wearing it and where they're going.

"You'll see," he says, gesturing for her to enter the elevator. She hesitantly enters the Avengers-only elevator, looking at the man suspiciously. He waves off her look as she continues to look at him with suspicion.

"Can you at least tell me who's going to be there?" she asks, trying to get a hint as to what's going on. She has a feeling that she may meet more of the team today, and her nerves are taking a hit. Other than Steve, Sam, and Bucky, she's only met one other person and that was Clint. He reminded her much of her last foster-father, who she misses a lot, and that lead to her feeling pretty down and drawn-in the rest of the day.

Steve hums for a moment, thinking it over. "More of the team," he says cryptically, making her even more nervous and suspicious. She nods her head as the elevator stops a few moments later, the stainless-steel doors sliding open.

Her eyebrows furrow as she hears something hitting what sounds like padding and some grunting. She can hear what sounds like knives hitting a wall and as she walks towards the railing in front of her, her suspicions are proven correct.

"You brought me to watch you all train...?" she asks, her voice small as her wide eyes look at the scene below her. She turns her gaze from the people fighting below to the man standing next to her. "Why, exactly?"

Steve ducks his head down slightly and she can see his neck and ears start to turn into a pretty shade of pink. "I was hoping that you could meet the rest of the team and that seeing everyone fighting in their suits could give you an idea as to how they fit and work," he says, giving her a bashful smile.

Her lips pull into a smile of their own and she ignores the urge to throw her arms around him in a hug. "Thank you, Steve," she says softly, practically bouncing on her toes. "I can probably get the rest of the one flyer done and work on the next one!" She grins up at him and he smiles down at her, ducking his head slightly.

He tilts his head to the side. "How many flyers are you planning on working on?" he asks her, a curious expression pulling his eyebrows down. She thinks it over for a moment.

"Three, I believe. The one I'm working on right now is the second one and it's nearly done, though I still need to add details to the first. It should be finished by the end of the day," she says, giving him a shy smile before jumping as a voice shouts up at them.

"Hey, Cap!" the voice of Tony Stark shouts. "Are you and your girlfriend done talking? We gotta start on some new tactics and we can't if you're distracted." She feels her face flush red and she can see that the Captain's in the same boat as she is.

"I guess you should get to training, huh?" she murmurs to the super soldier, trying and failing to control the blush on her face. He nods his head and clears his throat before gesturing to a benched section in the corner of the gym.

"You can sit over there and watch us train," he says in a low voice so no one can hear. "Every once and a while, someone will be sitting out, so it shouldn't be a problem for you to check out our sits." She nods her head and chews on her lower lip, glancing down at the powerful people sparring in their suites.

"Thank you," she says, smiling at him. He nods his head and leads the way down the staircase, making sure to keep her pinned between the railing and him just in case she slips. Her cast has been taken off and she's wearing a splint, meaning she can wear more than one shoe, though, with the less sturdy material, her ankle tends to roll every now and then.

She sighs in relief as she makes it down the stairs without slipping and nervously makes her way to the benches, feeling a few curious eyes on her. She gets situated on the seat, pulling out a sketchpad and some colored pencils.

Every now and then she'll glance around the room at the other members that she has yet to meet, but she keeps her eyes on two super soldiers. This particular flyer will be focusing on the three heroes with military backgrounds, especially Bucky. The benefit, she learned, is actually a charity benefit for disabled veterans, specifically those who have lost their limbs. She's going to have to ask Bucky later if she can have a look at his arm so she can sketch it properly.

She lifts her head as she hears someone walking towards her, freezing as she sees that it's not only Scarlet Witch, but it's also Black Widow. She watches as the two women walk towards her, seeming to be chatting about nothing and everything before they stop in front of her. She straightens her back in instinct and offers the two powerful women a smile.

"Hello?" she says, tilting her head in question. The two women give her smiles, moving to sit next to her.

"We've decided to give the boys a break," Black Widow says, causing her lips to tilt up slightly in amusement. "I'm Natasha." She holds her hand out to shake and she doesn't hesitate to grip it firmly. She turns to the other younger woman who offers her a kind smile, her eyes swirling slightly with red.

"I'm Wanda," she says, offering her hand and a warm smile. She takes it softly, giving the woman a smile of her own. She's only a few years younger than she is.

"I'm Alice," she introduces herself. "I hope you two don't mind if I sketch you both for the flyers?" She gestures towards her sketchpad and the two women look forward to glance at it. She lowers it to give them a better view of Steve's half-drawn face and Bucky's fully-drawn one. She has yet to sketch out Sam.

"You are an amazing artist," Wanda comments in her pretty accented voice. _So pretty,_ she thinks to herself at the woman's voice. Wanda meets her eyes and smiles at her and she feels a blush warm her face as she realizes that the girl probably heard what she thought. "You think my accent is pretty?"

She ducks her head down sheepishly and offers a smile. "I've heard many accents over the years," she says softly. "Though yours is by far the prettiest one I've heard. And thank you." The woman smiles at her before Natasha speaks up.

"Did you know that Cap draws, too?" she asks, taking her sketchbook from her hands and flipping through it after her affirming gaze.

"He mentioned it to me," she hums softly, taking her sketchbook back. "He hasn't shown me any of his sketches or anything, though. I wonder what he likes to draw..." She flips back to the first flyer sketch before looking up at the two women. "Would you two mind posing for me? I've seen pictures of your suits, though if I want to make the flyers as realistic as possible, I'm going to need to see you guys in the poses."

The two women shrug and stand up in front of her. "How do you want us to stand?" Wanda asks, looking curious. She bites her lower lip and chooses to just show the two women the sketch so they can get an idea as to how to stand. She'll adjust their stances later. "Oh, that is a very pretty drawing."

She flashes a smile as the two women take their stances and it forms into a grin of excitement as she begins to sketch the two women out. It doesn't take long before she's got the main gist of their suits and stances sketched out before Natasha speaks up.

"So, what's up with you and Steve?" she asks, causing her to stop her sketching and look up at her mid pencil stroke. "I mean, I've never heard of him talking about a girl before until you started working here. How'd you two meet?"

Her cheeks turn rosy as she looks down at her sketch, refusing to meet both of the women's gazes. "We met about four weeks ago before I even started here a little over a week ago. I was walking home from work and a few men were following me. I ended up fracturing my ankle after it got twisted in the sidewalk and I bumped into Steve before they could approach me," she tells them softly, sketching out the lines to Wanda's coat.

"That doesn't explain how he managed to get you a job with Pepper," Natasha says. She nods her head, understanding her reasoning.

"You're right, it doesn't. He ended up taking me to a local diner to patch me up and then he escorted me home. I ended up going to the diner a few days later and he saw me there and we talked about thing," she explains, shrugging her shoulders, still refusing to meet either of the women's gazes despite having to look at them to sketch them properly.

"He asked me about work and I told him my boss fired me because of my ankle. We talked a little more and he found out that I drew, so he asked me for my portfolio and resume," she finishes, shrugging her shoulders before finally meeting both women's eyes. "And I ended up getting an interview here."

"Are you sure nothing else happened?" Natasha prods, causing her blush to deepen.

"Oh, something did happen. Do tell," Wanda says, teasing her slightly. She chews on her lower lips as she erases a line and fixes it.

"I may have or may have not have kissed him the first time he escorted me home," she mumbles softly, barely audible to her own ears. But it seems like the two women heard her perfectly and her face burns even more at their teasing grins.

"Wait, you _kissed_ him?" Natasha asks in slight surprise. "That'd explain why he was blushing when he came back that one day. What'd he do after that?" She presses her lips together and studiously ignores both of their gazes, not wanting to speak about the humility in what she did.

"Come on," Wanda says in a teasing tone. "We won't tell anyone." She just shakes her head, trying to force away the blush taking over her. She knows that the younger woman can feel her embarrassment and she's appreciating the fact that she's pushing her too hard.

She mumbles out the answer, gaining a few _huh?'_ s. "I closed the door in his face," she mumbles, this time more articulated. The two women stay silent and she risks a glance up, her face flushing at their open-mouths.

"You _what?_ " they both sputter loudly, gaining the attention of Clint.

"C'mon, don't torture the new girl, too much," he says, walking closer to them and covered in sweat. "Steve wants you two back over there and what are you guys talking about?"

The three of them share quick glances, "Nothing!"


	7. Chapter 7

Alice nervously walks into her boss's office, her complete project in a folder in her hands. There are three complete flyers that she has yet to touch up with her computer. Once she gets the 'okay' from Pepper, she'll touch up the colors and fix the lines, as well as scan the artwork to put the information of the event on the back.

Pepper looks at her with a smile as she walks into the room. "Hello, Alice," she greets Alice. "Are those the finished sketches?" She nods her head and hands the folder to the woman. Pepper looks over each sketch carefully as Alice sits in the chair in front of her nervously.

She's confident in her abilities, but the initial overview of her work after the first few planned sketches is the most nerve-wracking part of her job. Since she's added the colors and outlined out everything, if Pepper doesn't like a sketch, she'll have to completely start over.

Alice doesn't relax when Pepper closes the folder. The redheaded woman looks contemplative for a few moments before she smiles. "These are very good," Ms. Potts says, tapping the closed folder. "I especially like the one where you focused on Sam, Steve, and Bucky."

"Thank you, Pepper," Alice says in relief. "Do you want me to add anything or...?" She stops as Pepper nods her head.

"Actually, I want to focus on the flyer with those three as well as the last one, please," Pepper says. "The first one is amazing, though I feel like it doesn't quite fit the theme of the upcoming benefit. That way, you'll have enough time to finish them before they have to get sent out."

Alice nods her head, stands up, picks up her folder, and waits for her boss to dismiss her. Pepper smiles at her and gestures towards the door. Alice gives a smile back before making her way to the door. She's stopped, however, as Pepper swears under her breath. She wasn't even aware that the woman swore.

"Is something wrong, Pepper?" Alice asks in worry, turning to see her boss's worried and frustrated expression.

"I'm so sorry, Alice," Pepper says guiltily. "The benefit was moved up and we need the flyers by tomorrow. I can possibly give you an extra day to work, but we really need the flyers finished and ready to print by noon tomorrow."

Alice chews on her lower lips in worry, mentally tallying up the hours that it will take to not only touch up the flyers but also write the benefit information on the back. A sudden thought strikes her and her heart speeds up in worry.

"I left my laptop at home because I wasn't aware that I would need it and my office isn't done yet since I usually work at home," Alice tells Pepper, her voice quieter than usual in her guilt and anxiety. "I could work from my tablet, but I need a monitor to display everything properly."

Pepper, who tensed at the first part of her statement, seems to drop her shoulders in relief. "You can have Friday connect your tablet to the television in the common room," Pepper explains her relief before her voice turns hard. "In the meantime, Tony and I will be having a talk about your office." Alice, taking that as her cue as the redhead reaches for her phone, races out of the room.

Her ankle throbs at the pace she sets as she heads towards the elevator, but she doesn't pay too much mind to it. It's been a week since she met the rest of the team and the benefit is supposed to be in three weeks, which was supposed to leave her with enough time to touch up the flyers to the best of her ability.

 _This better not be some test,_ she mentally grumbles to herself. _Otherwise, Pepper will be dealing with a very sleep deprived me._ Friday immediately takes her up to the common room where she sits in the chair beside the windows.

She's somewhat relieved and confused to see no one in the room until she catches the time. At this time, everyone will be in team training until late at night, leaving her with more or less six or eight hours to touch everything up.

 _Well, let's begin._

Alice takes out her tablet and stylus and looks at the large flat-screen on the wall, seeing that Friday is already displaying her tablet on the screen. She finds it easier to catch mistakes on a larger screen than on her small tablet, so she thinks that the massive television is perfect.

Since she scanned the three flyers into her tablet beforehand, she immediately begins working. Alice starts with the last one since that one has the most detail. It has all of the group and their weapons with an American flag in the background, despite the fact that some of the team aren't even from the US. She's hoping that it'll lessen the tensions that the Avengers Civil War caused to see them all united like this.

Periodically, Alice scrutinizes her work on the large T.V., fixing a few obvious mistakes. It's not until nearly four hours past that she finally decides that the one flyer is done. She sighs, saving the art piece, before focusing on the last one.

She doesn't know why, but she left the one focusing on Steve, Sam, and Bucky for last. Alice had managed to get the latter to let her take a few pictures of his arm as well as have a good look at how it works.

She decided to put all of the soldiers in their uniforms, their actual military uniforms, and she can't help but admire how all of them look in them. She's especially proud of Bucky with most of his metal prosthetic on display as he lines up a shot with his old rifle. Steve is holding his shield in front of him, head down, and Sam is above them in his plane. The bottom of the flyer, where Bucky and Steve are, is in browns like it was taken back in the forties, while the top where Sam is flying in the sky is colorful.

Alice thinks that it adds a certain look to the piece, especially if Steve and Bucky's uniform, shield, and arm are colored.

As she keeps working, she finds her concentration fading as her head nods up and down. Her eyes catch the time and it makes her yawn. It's past ten at night and she had woken up at four in the morning and hadn't been able to go back to sleep. It's safe to say that she's completely exhausted.

Her head keeps nodding as she fights to stay awake. She presses the save button, just in case, before adding some highlights on Bucky's metal hand and Steve's hair. Her vision fades in and out as she keeps yawning and all she can see before she falls asleep is Steve's face.

 **Author's Note: Sorry it's a little short. I had intended to make it longer with Steve's pov, but I'll add that in the next chapter.**


End file.
